The average American consumer spends 48% of his/her food budget dining out. At the times when you are not dining at a Certified Green Restaurant®, you can still encourage those restaurants to go green.

How? Click on the Suggestion Card on the left, print them out, carry them in your wallet, and leave them with the tip at your favorite restaurants. You can also talk with the manager at your favorite restaurants to let them know that you want them to go green… in a way that is transparent and certified by the Green Restaurant Association. Don’t underestimate the power of a courteous suggestion to a manager or waiter/waitress.

You can also email your favorite restaurant to encourage them to become a Certified Green Restaurant®.

Here is a sample email you can send:

Dear Restaurant Owner,

I am a regular customer at your restaurant. As somebody who eats out regularly and cares about what’s happening to our environment, it is important for me to support businesses that are Certified Green Restaurant®. I truly make some of my purchasing decisions based on the environmental responsibility of the company I am patronizing and in this day in age, there are millions of people doing the same thing.

I encourage you to contact the non-profit organization, the Green Restaurant Association (www.dinegreen.com) to learn more about how they can help you lower your environmental impact and become a Certified Green Restaurant®. It is my hope that I receive an e-mail back from you within the next couple months informing me that you have begun the process of working with the Green Restaurant Association toward Certification.